Gold Coast Portrait Photographer

You are Beautiful – Jaz

I am so excited to share with you a beautiful story of a truly special girl who I had the pleasure to photograph in my studio.

Meet Jaz. When Jaz was growing up she thought she was just like any other girl, a bit of a tomboy who also liked being the centre of attention. As a young girl, Jaz was a creative person who enjoyed singing, dancing and acting and she dreamed of one day becoming famous doing what she loved.

At the age of 14, a family contact suggest Jaz try to get into modeling. Jaz was unsure about modeling as her dream was to become a world famous actress, not a model. However Jaz agreed to go for an interview with the modeling agency and to her surprise she was signed straight away for modeling, acting and dancing. Jaz only told her closest friends she was signed with a model agency.

At School Jaz was constantly bullied for being a little different, she dressed differently to the “cool girls” and they didn’t like anyone being “different”. These bullies discovered Jaz was doing fashion shows in shopping centres and just couldn’t believe that the “punk girl” who sat up the back of the class was a glamour model. Jaz modeled with that agency for just over a year before they closed down.

Modeling didn’t shop there for Jaz. A local photographer ‘found’ her and would take her along to camera club meetings where she modeled for portraits. Exposure to all these photographers helped Jaz learn about posing and being in front of a camera. During this time, Jaz competed in modeling competitions and placed well.

About 4 years ago Jaz met her love, Michael. Six months after meeting they found out she was pregnant and 9 months later she gave birth to a beautiful boy, Corban. Modeling life was put on hold for a short time, not only to concentrate on being a mum to her beautiful boy but also to take time to get her body back in shape.

Jaz did return to modeling. Jaz was on a train, returning home from a photo shoot, when a group of girls assaulted her. The assault didn’t result in a lot of physical damage but the mental damage scarred her and changed her deeply. Her son was not even one and the assault left Jaz suffering with diagnosed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She was afraid to go anywhere alone and she couldn’t bare the thought of modeling.

Jaz eventually found a modeling group called TrashDolls. TrashDolls are a Melbourne based group, the girls are all a little different, they are all girls that felt they didn’t fit inside the little box that society calls “normal”. They are about ‘trashing the perception of perfection’ and they call themselves “dolls”. Outside of her family and close friends it was this group that gave Jaz the love and support she needed to get back on her feet. Jaz created and models under the name of Venom Miss Symbiote, it is her way of keeping the modeling life separate from her personal life. It is a great way to realise her alter ego without reflecting on her personally and her family. The name came from the Marvel anti-hero The Venom Symbiote. Jaz relates to the character and friends often joke that when she gets mad or does something out of character, it’s the Symbiotes fault.

Jaz has been with TrashDolls for a few years now. She believes so strongly in the dedication, honesty, teamwork and support that TrashDolls appointment Jaz the State Manager of Queensland.

Jaz is such an inspirational and wonderful woman. Whether as Venom Miss Symbiote or Jaz I believe we can all learn something from her, especially her outlook on life: “When you truly love something never give up no matter what life throws at you”. Jaz is a very humble and down to earth person with a beautiful soul. It was an absolute pleasure to photograph her and in the process get to know more about her.